Preservation & Repair > Upcycling Textiles
Preexisting boards were not the only material to be reused in bindings. Textiles are also to be found, most often in a leather-trimmed format known as maghzi. These were in a sense "upcycled," likely originating (as Jake Benson has written) either as scrap ends from tailoring or as mementoes from worn-out garments. Textile maghzi bindings can be found on a wide range of works, from modest commercial volumes—such as the two pocket-sized works below—to ex-royal commissions, such as a replacement binding for the aforementioned Gulistan of Baysunghur.
Majmūʿa (Anthology)
Text: Iran, 17th century
Binding: Iran, 19th century
Leather and woven textile
MS Or. 181
Daʿawāt (Prayers)
Text: 1243 AH/1827 CE
Binding: likely contemporaneous with text
Leather and woven textile over pasteboard
MS Or. 133
Both examples here used striped woven textiles, which were in fashion during the Qajar era. (Originally produced locally, they became so popular that, by the 1840's, English mills were exporting imitations for the Persian market.) The anthology (MS Or. 181) originally dates from the late Safavid period. It uses a safina format, which is opened vertically rather than horizontally. Such books usually served as a kind of vade mecum, in this case combining sayings by the first Shi'i imam, Qur'anic passages, and some short poems. Meanwhile, the prayer-book (MS Or. 133) is bound in the normal horizontal manner.
The choice of a soft material perhaps reflects the needs for each book. Safinas, for example, were always held with one hand behind the top board, sometimes without supporting the lower half of the book. (This gesture can be seen in numerous album paintings of the period.) The use of a flexible cover would have allowed the book to bend under its own weight while partially reducing stress on the binding structure. As for the prayer-book, the use of a textile may have made for a more intimate feeling when holding the book, appropriate to the personal nature of supplication.
In contrast to the hard surface of lacquer or leather, textile bindings likely offered an inviting element of tactility. In fact, many manuscripts made of the former materials were kept in a soft pouch. C. J. Willis, a doctor who visited Iran in the 1860s and 1870s, would regularly visit shopkeepers during his leisure hours. Of manuscripts, he noted:
"Books are treated with consideration in Persia. They are generally bound in boards, and these are elaborately hand-painted, generally with representations of birds and flowers. From two kerans to two hundred may be paid for a pair of these boards. Sometimes a book is bound in leather. This is, however, less common, save for account-books. A sort of outer envelope of cloth or chintz is made, and the book enclosed in it, thus preserving the binding and work at the same time."
Qur'an
Text: likely Iran, late 18th/19th century
Binding: Iran, early 19th century
Case: India or Iran, late 18th century
Woven textile over pasteboard; enamel on metal
MS Or. 308
Although they helped preserve the book, they are themselves somewhat rare to find nowadays. (Columbia has one such example, MS Or. 351, consisting of a simple velvet pouch.) This is, once again, the ironic fate of protective materials.
Inversely, a miniature octagonal Qur'an, kept with an enamelled metal amulet case, might consist of several personally significant elements. Although great care has been put into copying the full Qur'anic text at such a diminutive size, it was not meant to be read. Instead, such Qur’ans might be affixed to objects (like flag standards) or worn on the body. The length of the band here suggests that it could have been worn around the neck, although other examples could have been strapped to the arm.
The metal case’s subdued palette stands in contrast to the bright pinks used on most Qajar enamel. There are few precise parallels, although it has affinities with north Indian work of the 18th century—including the gold border of Sa'di's Kulliyat, seen earlier. Wherever and whenever the metal case happened to be produced, it is possible that it underwent changes. The Qur'an, again bound in a striped cloth, and even the red and yellow ribbon, may be of later date and constitute replacements for original or missing elements.